Beto O’Rourke grilled by CNN host over helping Dem lawmakers flee Texas

Former Texas Congressman Beto O’Rourke was pressed during a CNN interview on Wednesday about why he was helping cover costs for Democrats fleeing Texas to avoid a redistricting vote, rather than spending that money to help vulnerable Texans directly.

O’Rourke’s group, Powered by People (PBP), has played a major role in supporting the roughly 50 Democrats who left for New York and Illinois. The group is paying for airfare, lodging, and assisting with the $500-per-day fines the lawmakers face for skipping the legislative session, according to the Texas Tribune.

The walkout by Texas Democrats has stalled the Republican-controlled state legislature from voting on new GOP-crafted congressional maps that would create five more right-leaning congressional districts ahead of the 2026 elections.

During the Wednesday interview, CNN anchor Pamela Brown pointed out that O’Rourke’s group spent more than half a million dollars in 2021 to help Democrats flee the state to break quorum during a similar protest over a voting bill that ultimately passed.

“We could see a similar scenario this time around. Is it worth it?” Brown asked.

“Absolutely,” O’Rourke responded. “If we fail, the consolidation of authoritarian power in America will be nearly unstoppable.”

O’Rourke argued that every American should be invested in helping the Texas Democrats, warning that a Republican congressional majority would “roll out a royal red carpet for a Trump third term,” including more ICE raids and “more retribution and persecution and even violence for Trump’s political opponents.”

Brown challenged O’Rourke on whether the funds might be “better spent” aiding vulnerable Texans instead.

“We’ve seen it in the past—they flee, but then inevitably they have to come back, right? You can’t just stay out in perpetuity, and the governor can continue to call these special sessions,” she said. “Do you think the money could be better spent helping those folks you mentioned?”

O’Rourke defended the Democrats’ efforts, saying, “I actually believe that they can stay out long enough to stop this steal in Texas.”

He praised Democratic governors like California’s Gavin Newsom for threatening to pursue similar redistricting tactics if Texas’s effort goes forward.

“We have to stop their power grab. We have to win power, and then we have to use it to provide a check on Donald Trump,” he urged.

Brown referenced O’Rourke calling on Democrats to “fight fire with fire” and pointed to Vice President J.D. Vance’s recent meeting with Indiana Gov. Mike Braun to discuss redistricting in that state.

“Where does this end?” she asked.

“It ends with Democrats winning power,” O’Rourke said. “I think for far too long, my party has been more concerned with being right and coloring within the lines than they’ve cared about being in power — while the other side only cares about power, regardless of what is right, what is ethical, or what is legal, even.”

“So we’ve got to take the gloves off, and we’ve got to fight them. We’ve got to seize the initiative and stop waiting for these would-be fascists to land the punch — and throw ours first and throw it harder,” he added.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has called for the lawmakers to be arrested and prosecuted upon their return to the state.